Are you keeping track of the real estate market this year?
If not—I don’t blame you.
It’s been quiet. Or more accurately... slowing down, little by little.
Surprisingly, the best time to sell a home? It wasn’t this spring or summer. It was actually at the end of last year.
That’s when the stock market surged, inventory dropped to nearly zero, and we saw 50 offers on a single home in Mountain View. It was pure frenzy.
Then came 2025. January and February were steady—your typical spring energy.
But by March, the stock market began to dip. And in April, Trump’s new tariff policy kicked in. The market softened—quietly but quickly.
Take a look at this: The average days to sell a home started the year at just 21 days in March.
By August, it’s 33 days. That’s nearly 60% longer.
Even the median days went from 9–10 days in early Spring to 19 days in August. Double the time.
And sellers? They got frustrated. Many pulled out. Expired listings tripled in July compared to February. That means more and more homes sat unsold, past their listing dates, and were withdrawn from the market.
But even when the market looked frozen, our team never slowed down.
With multiple full-time agents and a high volume of production, we're out there every day—meeting sellers, writing offers, reading disclosures, and watching the data shift in real time.
And just this past week, we saw something we haven’t seen in a while. A spark.
🔥 Our Townhome Test Case
We listed a townhome in Palo Alto last Thursday. Now—townhomes are not moving fast this season, even in Palo Alto.
Before listing, I did my homework:
- One similar townhome? Over 100 days on the market.
- Another? Priced below the last sale in the same complex—still nothing for a whole month.
So yes—I was nervous. Even with the stock market slightly recovering, buyers still felt absent—traveling, or simply not ready.
But we listed it.
Within 4 days, we had over a dozen offers. And the final price? $500,000 over asking. It felt like 2017 or 2022 again.
When I looked closer at the data—active inventory across San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties peaked in May and has been declining since.
And here’s something subtle, but telling: Price per square foot—after months of hovering—just ticked up slightly in August. It’s small, but noticeable.
Historically, late August and early fall is when buyers come back from summer vacation. And when they do? The market can heat up fast.
So maybe… just maybe… this is the first signal.
📣 What Does This Mean for You?
If you’re a buyer, this might be the moment to act before competition returns.
If you’re a seller, this is the time to get your home prepped and ready for a fall wave.
Because fall might not be as quiet as it seems.
Need help navigating the shift? Just say Wen!